Meet You There
by HouseKeeper13
Summary: Bay and Emmett make a go of their relationship, but love is seldom easy. They deal with communication barriers, disapproving friends and families and a home life as complicated as Bay's on top of regular problems. But they have each other. B/E D/W


_Meet You There_

Chapter One

**Author's Note: **The first of fifteen chapters. This is the most ambitious story I've attempted so far in terms of the scope of the plot. It's going to be long. Also, if anyone is interested in Beta-ing please let me know. The plan is to update every Monday around 9. Please read and review.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**Chapter One**

Daphne was sprawled on her couch eating cheese puffs and watching the cooking network when the lights flashed signaling someone at her door. Looking around for a napkin and not finding one, she wiped the orange powder on her sweat pants, and rolled off the couch to answer the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see Bay standing before her, jacket on and backpack over one shoulder.

"My mom isn't here." Daphne said, beginning to shut the door.

"No, I know that," Bay said, throwing her hand on the door to pull it open again. "She's inside our kitchen talking with my-our mom-other mom. The moms are talking in my kitchen" she finished, confusing even herself. "I came to see you." At this, Bay got her first look at the girl before her, hair drawn up sloppily in a pony tail, small form engulfed in an oversized t-shirt that Bay suspected she had slept in the night before, and sweat pants with mysterious orange stains that matched her finger tips.

"What are you wearing?" Bay asked, before she could stop herself. Daphne scoffed and began shutting the door again when Bay stopped her for a second time

"I'm sorry, that didn't come out right. You look-" she struggled for a word. "comfy?"

Daphne crossed her arms over her chest protectively and adjusted herself, blocking the entrance to the house. "What do you want?"

At this, Bay visibly brightened, relieved to have dispensed of the small talk and eager to get to the reason for her visit. "Get dressed," she said excitedly, "we'll leave in half an hour."

"Oh, I see," Daphne said, growing more and more irritated by the second. "And where exactly are we going?"

"East-West fest." Bay said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Guitar Face starts at seven. You don't want to miss it, do you? Toby has been dreaming about something like this his whole life, and I'm sure you want to be there to watch Emmett play as much as I do. You are best friends after all. I was sure you'd want to go."

Although Daphne couldn't hear it, she knew perfectly well the emphasis Bay had put on the word 'friends', and she crossed her arms a little tighter, bitter over the fact that that's all they were. She hadn't planned on going at all. Emmett had said he didn't want them there. Still, she considered for a moment, if Bay was going, that would give her time alone with Emmett, and while Daphne was home alone eating cheese puffs, Bay could decide to spend the night, and- her shook her head clearing herself of that thought. If she had any intention of winning Emmett over, she couldn't very well let Bay go to the festival alone. She studied the face of the brunette, her eyes wide as she bit her lip waiting for the other girl's response. "Why do you want me to go?", Daphne asked, eyes narrowing. "I would think you'd like it better if I wasn't there."

Bay looked confused for a moment, and Daphne believed for a second that she was genuinely surprised by the question. "Because" she said slowly, signing her words "You're his best friend. This is a huge moment for him. I'm sure he wants you to be there."

"I'll be ready in fifteen minutes."

"Great!" Bay said, adjusting the weight of her backpack, but the door was already closing in her face. She rolled her eyes at the door and headed down to the driveway, sitting on Toby's car and imagining how surprised Emmett would be to see them. She looked at the motorcycle in their driveway and smiled, her thoughts of its owner.

Twenty minutes later, Daphne arrived, freshly showered and looking what Bay considered to be far too fancy for a music festival. She smiled wickedly to herself, thinking that Daphne would be in for a rude awakening when she stepped onto the muddy field, and smelled the stench of thousands of sweaty bodies packed together like sardines. It would be rude to ask her to change, Bay justified to herself, as she waved Daphne over to Toby's car.

"I thought we would take my car" Daphne said, glancing at what she had come to think of as the 'Daphnemobile' in spite of herself.

"No way!" Bay exclaimed, and she hopped off the hood of the car, shocked at Daphne's naivety. "You're obviously new to the brother-sister dynamic. Let me enlighten you. Toby has my car. When the guys took it, it had a full tank of gas. Toby has no intention of filling that tank when he brings it back. We take your car, and I'll have two gas tanks to be responsible for. We take Toby's car, and he can fill his own tank when he returns."

Daphne couldn't help as a smile flashed across her face. "Clever."

"I've had sixteen years of practice. Don't worry, you'll have this sister thing down in no time."

The girls shared a smile and a small laugh, each looking away, a bit ashamed of their earlier hostility when Bay's phone lit up, the vibrations catching her attention. "Oh," she said, her face lighting up. "Emmett says they arrived safely and-" she stopped herself as she read the second half of the message to herself.

_Arrived safely. Miss you already._

"And what?" Daphne said, her voice challenging.

"And nothing! Who's driving?" Bay recovered quickly, snapping her phone shut and giving it a little squeeze as she pocketed it.

"I can," Daphne said, a bit too aggressively for Bay's taste as Bay nodded hurriedly as both she and Daphne opened their respective doors and plopped inside.

As Bay threw her backpack in the back seat and turned to face front a bright yellow post it note stuck on the middle of the dashboard caught her attention.

"Nice try little sister." Daphne read aloud, turning to face Bay. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I have no idea" Bay said, plucking it off and examining the front and back briefly before crumpling it up and tossing it on the floor as Daphne put the key in the ignition and the engine revved to life.

"Uh, Bay" Daphne said, putting her arm on Bay's shoulder to get her attention and pointing to the low fuel light shining before them.

"Damnit Toby!" Bay exclaimed. "That's it. When we get home, we're driving around the block until we have to push it in the driveway."

"This was your idea. You're paying for gas." Daphne said. It wasn't a request.

"Ugh. Fine. Let's just get out of here." Bay said, her frustration mounting.

That was all Daphne needed to hear as she shifted the car into reverse and pulled out of the driveway.

"The boys have no idea we're coming!" Bay signed excitedly, "I can't wait to see their faces when they see us!"

"Yeah," Daphne replied considerably less excited than Bay. She rolled her eyes. Yes, she got it already. St. Bay was the hero for thinking of this great surprise, while Daphne was the horrible one for not planning on going. What was Bay waiting for, a thank you from Daphne? Well she better not hold her breath because she wasn't about to get one. "Didn't they say they didn't want us to come, in case they blew it."

"Please. Of course they wanted us to come! They're playing East-West Fest. That's huge! They'd hate us if we missed their big moment. You didn't really believe them when they said that, did you?" Bay asked, a bit too condescendingly for Daphne's liking.

"Yes. I did. I know for a fact Emmett doesn't want us there."

"How do you know that?"

"Because he said he didn't want us there." Daphne spat.

"I thought he was just nervous and being modest." Bay said, concern etched in her features. "Like when you say you don't want anything for your birthday, but you still expect something." Her mind flashed to the billboard and she smiled.

"If he did he would have asked. Emmett doesn't play head games."

"Oh. Right." Bay sighed, crestfallen. "Well I'm not going to miss it. We can just hide in the back and leave after their set, okay?" she asked, clearly satisfied with herself. "Can you believe they bought it when we said we would stay home? Did they really think we would miss their show? We would never have let it drop that easily. That should have given it away right there. You don't think they know, do you?"

"Well now I know how you and Emmett communicate," Daphne muttered under her breath. "You don't let him get a word in. Do you ever shut up?"

"Huh?" Bay asked, genuinely confused.

"Never mind," Daphne said, rolling her eyes. "We're here. Go pay."

As Bay climbed out of the car and pumped the gas, Daphne closed her eyes and rested against the back of the seat. She was sure Bay was still talking, but at least with her eyes closed, she had no idea what it was she was saying.

**Switched at Birth Switched at Birth Switched at Birth**.

Kathryn removed the tea kettle from the stove as it whistled, poured hot water into two tea cups and carried them over to the breakfast bar where Regina sat waiting. Thanking her, Regina started adding her sugar and milk, clearly on edge.

"So," Kathryn said, breaking the silence "how're things between you and Angelo?"

Regina dropped her spoon on the saucer angrily, causing Kathryn to flinch. "Is that why you asked me to have tea with you? So you can tell me what a bad man Angelo is, how he's screwing over your family, and tell me to make him leave or I'm kicked out?"

"No!" Kathryn said, startled. "I was just making conversation. I saw you two together last night and you seemed happy."

"I'm not talking about Angelo with you."

"Okay," Kathryn said, eager to avoid an argument.

"So," Regina said, after a few moments of silence. "If you didn't want to talk about Angelo, why did you ask me here?"

Kathryn smiled shyly. "I just wanted to talk. I spend so many days here alone in the house with no one to talk to, and then John and the kids come home and we talk about sports and school and the carwash. Sometimes I just want to talk to another woman- another mother."

Regina caught herself feeling sorry for the other woman. "Yeah, sometimes I miss that too."

Kathryn smiled. "Besides, we're practically family in a weird, twisted way. We really should get to know each other. We might just be friends."

Regina relaxed back in her chair, relieved there was no ulterior motive, and looked around at the Kennish's kitchen. Although the décor was much too fancy for her own liking, or budget, she thought bitterly, Regina had to admit that Kathryn had good taste.

"Your home really is beautiful" she said as she stirred the tea absentmindedly.

"Thank you" Kathryn said, clearly caught off guard by the compliment. "I can give you the number of our decorator if you're interested."

Regina should have guessed Kathryn didn't decorate it herself. "Are you suggesting there's something wrong with my house?" she asked defensively.

"Oh no!" Kathryn corrected quickly, looking mortified. "I didn't mean to imply that at all. Your home is beautiful. It's homey and comfortable- very you."

Regina raised her eye brows challengingly.

Kathryn blushed. "I just meant you can feel your influence on it! You've done wonders to the guest house-your house" she corrected quickly, sipping her tea to stop her foot from putting itself back in her mouth.

Regina laughed to herself at how nervous Kathryn was. She could tell the other mother was making an effort, and she knew that she should be trying too, but Regina would be lying if she didn't admit that she was having fun making the woman squirm. She spent so much time feeling inferior to the Kennishs, to have the upper hand for once felt great. There seemed to be no reason she couldn't have a little fun before letting Kathryn off the hook. "So then why did you think I'd need a number for an interior decorator?"

Kathryn put her tea down, looking relieved. "I was asking if you wanted him for your salon."

Regina was surprised at the gesture. "Thank you, but if he worked for you, he's probably a bit out of my price range."

"Oh, okay. You probably don't need him anyway. You could just decorate it yourself and it'll look great." Kathryn said, more sincerely than Regina would have guessed.

Regina smiled at the compliment. "Thanks Kathryn."

"So how is your salon coming along?" the fair haired woman asked, relieved to have gotten over the initial hiccup in the conversation.

"Well, it isn't as of right now" Regina said, unable to meet the other woman's eyes.

"Oh no! Why not?" Kathryn asked with concern and something that if Regina didn't know better, she might classify as disappointment.

"What else? Money."

"But you went to the bank the other day. Didn't it go well?"

"Not exactly."

"What happened. You were so enthusiastic. Did you come with a pitch?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. And it was a damn good pitch too!"

"I don't understand, you have loyal clients. You're a great investment!"

"I know!" Regina said, excited to hear it from someone other than her mother and daughter.

"But they still wouldn't give you a loan?" Kathryn asked, confused.

"Not without someone to cosign."

"Oh." Kathryn said, the gears in her head already turning.

Eventually, the two eased into a real conversation, surprising themselves at how naturally it came and how much they were enjoying themselves. They talked about themselves and their children, and while Regina and Kathryn were busy laughing, John walked in, catching them off guard.

"Hello Regina, Hello Kathryn" he said, smiling.

Kathryn jumped up to greet her husband with a hug and a kiss. "How was your day, Sweetie?"

"It was fine. I was on the phone all day with the real estate agent about that property on Sycamore, and I think it's safe to say you can expect another car wash soon!"

"That's great Honey!" Kathryn exclaimed, and Regina couldn't help but think she sounded fake in her enthusiasm.

Regina looked at the clock. "Well I have to get going. Congrats on the car wash, John. Kathryn, thank you for having me."

Kathryn looked at Regina and smiled. "Thank you for coming. I had fun."

"Me too." Regina said, surprising even herself.

"Maybe we can do it again?" Kathryn asked hesitantly.

Regina thought about it for a moment. "Okay."

"Great!" Kathryn said, and waved goodbye to Regina as she walked out and shut the door behind her.

"What was that about?", John asked, clearly amused.

"We had tea." Kathryn said.

"You and Regina?" John inquired, laughing. "How did that go?"

"It went well" Kathryn said defensively. She paused for a moment before asking the question she had been thinking about all day. "How would you feel if I asked Regina to go into business together?"

**Switched at Birth Switched at Birth Switched at Birth**

When the tank was full, Bay got back in the car, the closing of the door alerting Daphne that it was time to open her eyes. Shortly after they were back on the road, Bay's phone lit up, signaling another text. She opened the message and began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Daphne asked, certain she knew who the text was from, but dreading the answer anyway.

"Emmett." Bay said, still laughing. "He says that they're all checked in and-" But her voice was drown out as Daphne turned the radio on and cranked it up to a level that caused Bay to jump in her seat and throw her hands over her ears. With one hand still over her ear and the other hastily turning the volume down, Bay looked at Daphne angrily.

"Are you trying to make me go deaf too?" Bay signed, staring at Daphne, her mouth open.

"What is that supposed to mean? Daphne shot back angrily. "Are you saying there's some sort of problem with being deaf?"

"Really?" Bay said, her voice flat. "I'm working my ass off to learn sign language so I can communicate with you easier, and you really want to go there?"

"Don't act like you learning sign language has anything to do with me."

"Why wouldn't I want to converse with you? Our talks are always give me the warm and fuzzies."

"You do know that even if you do eventually learn to sign, you'll never understand him like I do."

"And you'll never understand him like I do!"

"You can't ever know what life is like for him, how he sees the world, how the world sees him."

"Maybe your deafness is your only personality trait, but it's only one small part of who Emmett is."

"I think I know who Emmett is better than you do. I know what color his favorite shoes were in fifth grade, I was with him when he had to flush his pet goldfish down the toilet, I was there the time he got his first camera for his ninth birthday. No matter what you will never compete with our past."

"And you can't compete with our future! I knew after eight minutes how amazing he is. I don't know how it took you eight years to finally appreciate him. You blew your chance."

"At least he can have an intelligent conversation with me. How long do you really think it will be until he gets fed up with dumbing himself down?"

"Emmett fought to get me back! When you broke up with Liam he just figured you weren't worth the trouble, hell, your own father didn't want to stick around for you, why would your boyfriend?"

"Don't you dare bring Angelo into this. That is so out of line."

"Oh, right, because you saying you're going to try and steal my boyfriend isn't?"

"You don't deserve him."

"Don't you think I know that!" Bay said, her voice cracking. "He's way too good for me, I know that, but I need him, and I'm going to spend every second fighting for him and trying to make him happy, while you seem determined to make him miserable."

"You're not what he needs"

"I'm what he wants!" Bay shouted, biting her tongue to keep herself from throwing the fact that he told her using his voice in the other girls face. Bay knew it was too intimate a moment to share, but she'd be damned if she didn't want to throw it in Daphne's stink face right now. Talking about it to someone else, especially in an effort to make the girl jealous would just cheapen the gesture. Bay had promised herself that it would be a secret between just her and Emmett.

"Forget it." Daphne said, her foot slamming on the accelerator and swerving quickly into the other lane to avoid hitting the car in front of her.

"I'm sorry," Bay said with a heavy sigh. "Can't we just talk about this? We clearly have some serious issues to work out, and this trip is going to get a whole lot longer if we spend it at each other's throats."

"I can't watch the road and read your lips at the same time," Daphne snapped. "It's a safety hazard."

Bay tried to point out that she had been doing an excellent job so far, but Daphne just ignored her as she stared straight ahead, her knuckles turning white as she clenched the steering wheel with all her might. Bay sighed and put her head against the window, pulling out her phone to text Emmett.

"Put that away. It's distracting." Daphne barked, before Bay even had a chance to type her first word. Focusing her breathing to calm herself down, Bay reluctantly put the phone back in her pocket in two terse motions. This was going to be a long drive.

**Switched at Birth Switched at Birth Switched at Birth**.

Angelo Sorrento pulled his rented car up to what he had heard Regina refer to as 'Kennish Manor', parking next to a motorcycle. He had hoped to see his daughter in the stall of the garage she had pointed out to him as being her art studio. That way, he wouldn't have to go to the door and risk another incident with her parents. He began to regret not calling in advance. If he had, Bay could have been there to meet him, but his decision to take her out had been on a whim. He had passed a billboard advertising the newest exhibit in the art gallery on his way home from the grocery store, and had immediately altered his course to find Bay, his groceries still in the trunk. Sure it was short notice, but who wouldn't love a surprise?

Taking a steadying breath and readying himself for the fall out, Angelo walked up to the back door and rang the bell. Much to his dismay, it was not his curly haired daughter, but the man who had raised her who opened the door. John's expression turned cold when he saw it was Angelo through the window of the screen door.

"What can I do for you?" John made no move to open the screen door and let the other man in.

"I've come for Bay." Angelo said, and instantly regretted his choice of words as John's nostrils flared menacingly.

"Excuse me?"

"I just want to take her out. I want to spend time with her. I've already lost so much time."

"That was your own doing, Angelo. You walked away from life as a father." John said, careful to keep his temper in check.

"She wasn't _my_ daughter." Angelo said, pleading with the other man to understand.

"You don't have to share DNA to be a father!" John yelled, his mind flashing to his beautiful daughter, his Bay. John Kennish would be damned if he was going to let this man or anyone else tell him he wasn't Bay's father.

"You're right" Angelo said, not wishing to pick a fight he wasn't sure he could win. In fact, he was quite glad there was a door between them right now.

"What's going on here?" Kathryn demanded, hurrying up from behind John. "I heard yell-" her voice trailed off when she saw Angelo. "Oh." She said, sounding slightly scared. "It's you." She too made no effort to open the door as she stood next to her husband and grabbed his arm.

"Hello," Angelo said, trying again. "I wanted to take Bay to the art gallery. They have a new exhibit I thought she would like. Is she home?"

"No. She's not." John said flatly.

"She's at a musical festival with Daphne. Toby-their brother-'s band is playing." Kathryn supplied.

"Oh, I see." Angelo said, turning around to leave.

"You don't have to be blood related to be a brother either" John voiced accusingly.

Angelo turned around to face the Kennishs. "I understand that. Thank you for your time." As he turned around, he heard Kathryn's hushed whispers to John, but ignored them and started walking. He only made it so far as a few steps when he heard the screen door open and John speak.

"Angelo, would you mind coming inside. We have something we'd like to talk with you about."

Angelo was surprised his jaw didn't drop. They were asking him to come inside? "Of course" he said, and headed back toward the house, John stepping aside as he held the door open, staring Angelo down as he passed. John and Kathryn led him to the dining room table, and the three of them sat down. Angelo was the first to speak. "How may I help you?"

John sat in silence for a moment longer, collecting his thoughts. "You said you had information on the attending nurse from the night of the switch."

"Yes. That's correct. But that's not what you wanted to ask me."

"Of course it's not!" John snapped. "We want to know how you got your information."

"I've already told you I have an affidavit."

"I asked you _how_ you got her to sign that." John stared at Angelo trying to read him. "Are you bribing her?"

"What will it take for you to trust me?" Angelo asked, his voice as cool as if he was asking about the weather. "Your case is failing. You said it yourself. You need me, and you need the information I bring to the table. You can't win without me."

"Maybe not." John said, "But I certainly can lose with you. I'm not going to risk incarceration because you were so desperate for a quick buck you couldn't play by the rules. I would never do anything that would cause me to be away from my family."

"We're suing because we have missed out on the first sixteen years of Daphne's life through no fault of our own." Kathryn said, her voice cracking. "You chose not to be there for them. What's your excuse?"

"We're not joining your law suit." John finished, putting his hand over his wife's and giving it a squeeze.

"And what can I do to change your mind?" Angelo asked, retaining his composure.

"There isn't a thing in this world." John said, leaning forward. "It's not because I don't like you- and trust me, I don't. It's because I don't trust you."

"I see." Angelo said, straightening up. "When will Bay be back?"

John didn't reply. "She's coming back late tonight." Kathryn supplied, glancing from Angelo to John.

"Then I'll be back tomorrow to see if she'd like to go to the gallery." Angelo said, rising from the table. "Thank you for your time. I'll see you tomorrow. May I show myself out?"

Kathryn only nodded and gave him a meek wave. Kathryn and her husband sat in silence as the sound of Angelo's footsteps faded. When they heard the screen door open and shut, John turned to Kathryn, his expression downcast. "Why didn't I think to take her to the new art exhibit? She would have loved that!"

Kathryn just rubbed her husband's back soothingly.

**Switched at Birth Switched at Birth Switched at Birth**.

Emmett stood off stage with Toby and Wilkie, waiting for the signal that Guitar Face had been announced. Any minute he would walk on stage, sit down behind his drums, and play in front of thousands of people. His stomach lurched, and he thought he was going to be sick. A glance at Toby and Wilkie told him they were as nervous as he was. Emmett knew he needed to calm down because if he was too nervous, he would be distracted, and he would mess up. Pressure on him to calm down did little to ease his nerves. He peeked his head out and scanned the crowd, wishing desperately to view the familiar mass of black curls. Not seeing her, he mentally kicked himself in the head. Why had he told her not to come? Right now he needed her here to calm him down. To distract him. If things went well, he would want her here to share in his victory, and if they went poorly, he would want her here to comfort him. He checked again. No sign of her. He was sure she would have come. She was his Bay. She never let anything go easily, and she never did what people told her to do. Why would she choose this moment to start listening to him?

His regrets were stifled as he felt the speaker boom and Toby tapped him on the shoulder and signed "it's time." Wilkie led the way, slapping Emmett on the back as he went. As Emmett got settled on his stool he looked one more time toward the crowd, the task made difficult by the lights shining in his face. As Toby turned around to gesture to him, clearly announcing him to the crowd, Emmett put his arm up in recognition, his hand temporarily blocking the lights long enough to see the forms of a brunette with thick curls pulling a slightly taller girl with straight red hair closer to the stage, the girls pushing through the crowd and yelling wildly as they did. She had come after all. His heart soared as he looked from Toby to Wilkie, both of whom were giving him a thumbs up. Smiling from ear to ear, and suddenly much less nervous, he tapped his sticks together and began to play.

Daphne had wanted to stay in the back of the crowd so they weren't spotted, but Bay insisted they get closer to the stage. She tried to duck as she weaved her way through the crowd, dragging the reluctant Daphne behind her. When they announced Emmett's name she yelled as loudly as she could, starling the people around her. It was a good thing her boyfriend was deaf, she thought, because otherwise her screams would have given her position away. She finally settled on a spot close to the stage as near a speaker for Daphne's benefit just as Emmett began to play. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she looked from her brother to her boyfriend. They looked so happy, and so comfortable up there, somehow making the same songs she had listened to Toby play a thousand times exciting and fresh. She breathed a sigh of relief as she looked around at the crowd. The crowd loved them, and her heart swelled with pride and affection for the three boys on the stage. Daphne too seemed to have finally gotten that miserable look off her face and was smiling and moving her body back and forth to the rhythm of the music. She noticed the guitar face front she had made sitting on Emmett's drum and couldn't help but mentally pat herself on her back.

When Guitar Face's fourth and final song ended, the crowd went wild, but no one more so than Bay and Daphne. Bay waited until the three boys were off the stage and the crew started moving their equipment to make room for Cold War Kids before turning to Daphne and signing "Let's get out of here before they see us." Daphne nodded her head and grabbed Bay's hand, leading the way back through the crowd to the exit.

As soon as they were back stage, Toby and Wilkie whirled around to face Emmett, each high fiving each other excitedly. Emmett thought Toby and Wilkie looked like they were going to explode from happiness. The two boys were bouncing up and down yelling what Emmett knew were congratulations and praise for each other and him without even bothering to read their lips. He was too distracted trying to look around them and see the crowd. Bay and Daphne were no longer standing where they were during their set, and Emmett gave Toby and Wilkie a dismissive thumbs up and pat on the back before pushing past them to find Bay. The high from being on stage wasn't close to dying down, and he wanted nothing more than to share it with her. Toby and Wilkie looked at each other confused for a brief moment, before turning back to their high fives and yelling in each other's faces, far too happy to care where their drummer was going.

Emmett stepped back on the stage, dodging the moving crew. He saw her making her way toward the exit with Daphne, both of them going against the crowd and ducking down as they tried to hide. He took a few long strides and jumped off the stage, trying to chase after them. He made it as far as a few feet when a group of girls surrounded him, chattering incessantly and wrapping their arms around him, one of the girls pulling on his jacket. By the smell he knew that more than one of them was drunk. He tried to brush them aside, not caring about politeness, concerned only with finding Bay. He stood on his tip toes and spotted them, almost at the exit now. He smiled to himself and pulled out his phone.

Bay and Daphne were almost at the exit when Bay's phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out, stopping Daphne as she read.

_You better not leave without a kiss._

Bay's heart melted, as she signed to Daphne that they were busted and may as well go back and see the boys to congratulate them.

"Are we in trouble" Daphne signed.

"I don't think so."

The girls shared a smile and turned back around, fighting their way through the crowd again, trying to make it back toward the stage. As they approached, Bay saw Emmett surrounded by a flock of girls, trying to peel them off of him and couldn't help but laugh at the disgusted look on his face. He looked up and saw Bay, his smile widening, as he succeeded in pushing through the girls and running to close the distance between them. When he made it to her, he pulled her in a hug, lifting her off the air and spun her around. When he set her back on the ground, her arms wrapped around him, and he closed the distance between them, kissing her frantically. When they broke apart he turned to Daphne who looked pointedly at the group of girls looking disappointed and casting death glares at Bay. Emmett turned around to see what she was looking at, and chuckled as he turned back to face her.

"Fangirls," he signed. "They dig me."

"Don't worry, after that little display with Bay, I think they got the message."

Emmett laughed and pulled Daphne into a tight hug. When he released her, he ruffled her hair and grabbed Bay's hand and together, the three of them walked backstage. Passing the group of girls, Bay couldn't help but stop and kiss Emmett one more time, just in case they had any lingering doubts.

**Switched at Birth Switched at Birth Switched at Birth**

As Angelo walked toward his car, he looked up toward the guest house and noticed a light was on. Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself running a hand through his hair and knocking on the door.

When Regina answered the door, her shock was visible. "Angelo! What are you doing here?"

Angelo smirked as he noticed Regina unconsciously smooth her dress down. "I heard Daphne was out of town, and I didn't want you to have to dine alone."

Regina laughed and stepped aside, opening the door for him. "Come in" she said. "I'm warning you though. My kitchen is almost empty."

"I just went grocery shopping!" Angelo offered excitedly. We can use my food.

"Oh," Regina said approvingly "What've you got?"

"I bought some chips, some frozen dinners-which may have thawed by now-" Regina couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, I got distracted on my way back to my hotel." Angelo said with a shrug.

"What have you got that hasn't gone bad?" Regina asked.

"I've got some cans of soup, a case of beer, and some beef jerky."

"Absolutely none of that sounds appealing." Regina said, wincing. "I think we're better off with what I've got."

"Okay, but don't say I didn't offer." Angelo replied with a laugh, as he entered Regina's house.

Regina rooted through her cupboards and her refrigerator. Yelling the contents she found to Angelo, who sat in the living room. Opening the last cupboard she pulled out a box of pasta and excitedly hurried back to the refrigerator where she pulled out a jar of pre made pasta sauce. "Got it!" she exclaimed, coming to join Angelo in the living room. "How do you feel about pasta?" Angelo smiled back at her.

"Sounds perfect."

"Sit tight, I'll have this ready in no time." Regina called, going back to the kitchen where she filled a pan with water and placed it on the stove.

Regina placed two bowls on the coffee table and joined Angelo on the floor. She watched him eagerly, waiting for him to take the first bite. After carefully twirling spaghetti on his fork against a spoon, he put the fork to his mouth. Regina's eyes lit up hopefully for just the briefest of moments before Angelo practically spit the mouthful out. Clearly in pain and struggling, he swallowed it down, a grimace on his face.

"That bad?" Regina asked, crestfallen.

"I'm afraid so." Angelo said, chugging his glass of water. "How on earth did you mess up pasta and pre-made sauce?"

"Daphne does the cooking." Regina supplied with a shrug.

"All you had to do was put the noodles in a pan of water and microwave the sauce." Angelo said, poking the food with his fork. "What went wrong?"

"For your information, I was trying to impress you, so I went the extra mile. I heated the sauce on the stove, but I may have let it burn, and while I was busy trying to mix it in and unstick it so you wouldn't notice, the pasta was in too long."

Angelo just laughed. "How about we order a pizza?"

"Oh it can't be that bad! Regina said, pulling her plate toward her and bravely taking a heaving forkfull of spaghetti. She shoveled it into her mouth, sauce splashing across her face as she slurped the remaining noodles. Almost instantly she began to cough and spit it out back on her plate. "You were right! That was disgusting!" She said looking at her plate with disdain. "I'll get the number for Dominoes."

"Wait a minute Gina," Angelo said, closing the distance between them. You have some sauce on your face. Angelo began to run his thumb over her lips when Regina backed off quickly.

"Don't go there." She said sternly as she walked over to the phone.

Regina and Angelo were basking in their post pizza glory when Regina spoke. "Were you serious last night when you said I could have a share of your money from the law suit?"

"Absolutely," Angelo said, straightening up. "Gina, I made the biggest mistake of my life letting you go all those years ago."

"Daphne and I didn't go anywhere Angelo. You were the one who walked out."

"And I have regretted it every day since." He said, looking into her eyes. "But I'm going to make things right. You and I are going to have the family and the picture perfect life we always imagined all those years ago."

"Angelo, don't start with that. Besides, I think it's a bit too late for the picture perfect family thing. It's never going to be just you and me and Daphne. What we've got now, is Daphne, my mother, Bay, Toby, Kathryn, and John."

Angelo visibly clenched at the mention of John. Regina couldn't help but giggle. "So I see Captain Superstar struck again. That man has _got_ to stop making friends wherever he goes."

"It's nothing" Angelo said, darkly.

"Oh come on, what did he do to you?" Regina asked, eyebrow raised.

"Nothing. I just don't take it well when people who think they're better than me look down on me and accuse me of being a criminal."

"What?" Regina shouted, but before Angelo could answer, Regina was already storming out of the house and toward the Kennish's.

Kathryn and John were sitting down to a romantic dinner, enjoying one of their rare 'date nights' when they heard a furious pounding at the door. Getting up from the table and asking each other who it could be their question was answered as they heard Regina's voice yelling "John Kennish open the door. We need to talk!"

"Is everything okay?" Kathryn asked anxiously as Regina stomped inside.

"No. It's not." Regina said. "You accused Angelo of committing a felony?"

"This is about the lawsuit?" John said, motioning to Regina's rage.

"The lawsuit? What does that have to do with this?" Regina said, confused.

Kathryn, ever the peace keeper, offered Regina a seat, but she remained standing, forcing John and Kathryn, who had already sat down to stand back up again. "We just said we didn't want him joining our lawsuit."

"Why not?" Regina asked. "You said yourself it's stronger if we go in together."

"_You_ didn't want to go in." John said.

"Of course I didn't, and you know why" Regina snapped, "but Angelo is back and he's staying here, and even though he has information that can win you your case, you don't want him. I want to know why. Is it because he's a lower class than you?"

"What? No!" John said, taken aback. "It's because of the possibility that he might have gotten his information illegally."

"Explain."

"He might have bribed the nurse with a part of his settlement money. If he or anyone associated with his case gets caught tampering with the witness we've all committed a felony and we're all headed to jail."

"You can't throw accusations like that around! If you yell too loudly the wrong people could hear you and start an investigation."

"If he's innocent he has nothing to hide." Kathryn said soothingly.

"It's in the hospital's interest if he looks guilty. You and I both know in this country it's guilty until proven innocent. I don't want him taken away from me and my family again. He destroyed Daphne when he left. How do you think it'll affect Bay?" Regina's eyes widened. "Oh my God I get it. I know what this is about. You're jealous of him." Regina said, her eyes narrowed. "You're jealous of what he means to Bay, and can't handle being the only man in her life, and instead of just dealing with it like the rest of us, you're making up reasons to drive him away."

"Getting arrested and being driven away are not the same thing, Regina" John said, clearly razzled.

"Angelo wouldn't do that!" Regina shouted. "He's a good man!"

"A good man doesn't leave his family!" John shouted back. "Not when they need him the most."

Regina just glared at them for a moment. "I would expect this from John, but not you Kathryn." As Kathryn went to open her mouth, Regina turned on her heels and left the house.

John and Kathryn just exchanged glances.

**Switched at Birth Switched at Birth Switched at Birth**

Once backstage, Bay released Emmett's hand to explain that she was going to go find Toby. Left alone, Emmett turned to Daphne.

"Thanks for coming."

"You were fantastic!" she signed, jumping up and down a little

"Thanks." Emmett signed back, as he shoved his hands in his pockets and averted his eyes.

"Don't give me any of this modest crap. You were great and you know it! The crowd loved you!"

Emmett's brow furrowed a little with worry. "What did you and Bay think?"

"Are you kidding? I already told you we loved you!"

"Really?" he asked, his eyes scanning her face for the truth.

"Absolutely!" she said, slapping him playfully.

Emmett's dimples grew, and his eyes sparkled.

"How are you getting along with Toby and Wilkie? Are you missing Carlton already?"

"It's not that bad." Emmett signed earnestly. "They're a little slow, but they're pretty cool. I'm having fun."

"Oh. That's great!" Daphne signed, but Emmett couldn't help but notice the slight look of disappointment on her face.

Bay spotted Toby and Wilkie standing next to a bunch of girls and ran up behind them, tapping Toby on the shoulder. As he turned around to face her, his eyes widened in surprise and happiness as he pulled her into a hug. "His sister" Wilkie explained to the girls looking wearily at Bay. They visibly eased and began talking amongst themselves.

"Did you see us?" Toby yelled excitedly.

"Of course, and you guys were awesome!" Bay yelled back, turning to give Wilkie a high five and a quick hug.

"I'm so glad you're here!"

"Toby, if I could handle mom and dad making me sit through those pathetic backyard concerts you gave when you were ten, do you really think I'd miss you playing East-West Fest?"

"Do you know our poor love struck drummer actually thought you wouldn't make it?"

"I almost worried myself. Would you believe Miss Goodie Two Shoes actually drives the speed limit? It felt like we were crawling, and I thought we would miss your set!"

"Daphne's here?" Wilkie asked, looking around for her.

"Yeah, she's over there talking with Emmett," Bay said, pointing in the direction she had come from.

"Well, I better go over and say hello." Wilkie said, nodding goodbye to Bay.

"Great job Wilkie!" Bay yelled after him.

"Thanks for coming mini Kennish!" Wilkie yelled back without turning around, his right hand raised in the air.

Bay once again directed her attention on Toby. "You kicked major ass! Everyone loved you, and I mean you've never played that last song so well, and your solo- Toby! You totally nailed it! People are probably still talking about you guys."

"Thanks little sister" He said and winked before raising his voice. "Solos aren't the only thing I can really nail." This elicited a giggle from the gaggle of groupies standing a few feet away whispering excitedly amongst themselves.

"Smooth, Casanova." Bay said, rolling her eyes. "Why don't we go find Daphne and save her from Wilkie?"

As Toby addressed the group of girls, promising them his speedy return, Bay was unable to keep the smile off her face. He looked so excited, and he was absolutely loving the attention the girls were giving him. She was happy for him of course, but Bay would be lying if she didn't admit that she wanted to get back to boyfriend.

As Wilkie approached Daphne and Emmett talking animatedly, he threw his arms open wide and smiled a lopsided grin. "Is my drummer great or is my drummer great?" Wilkie high fived Emmett and turned to hug Daphne who had her hand raised for a high five. He then raised his arm to high give as Daphne lowered her hand to receive a hug. The little danced continued for a couple more moments, before Wilkie settled on a high five, giving Daphne's hand a little squeeze after.

"He's spectacular," Daphne said, putting a hand on Emmett's shoulder proudly when she finished signing. Her hand lingered there for a bit too long before she snapped her head back to Wilkie and recovered. "You were great too!"

"Why thank you. I'm so glad you could make it. I just love when I play a huge role in shaping a beautiful girl's identity, and giving her that one special memory that will be with her the rest of her life. You know, filling her with that special feeling inside and makes her all warm and tingly." When Daphne only looked at him questioningly, he continued. "I mean of course watching me play. Guitar Face is going to be huge, and you were here to witness the day we first made our mark in music history. You're never going to forget this day. You, miss Daphne are going to tell your children about your experience here tonight." Daphne only laughed and released a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Oh come on!" Wilkie said playfully. "Get your mind out of the gutter! And here I thought you were a respectable young lady."

"You only played four songs." Daphne said, smiling coyly. "If I tell my children anything about today, it'll be how you finished prematurely."

Wilkie leaned down close to Daphne's face and whispered. "So what you're really saying is you couldn't get enough of me?"

"Not a chance," Daphne said smugly, pulling closer. "I'm saying you couldn't satisfy me."

"Ouch!" Wilkie said, pulling away and putting his hand over his heart in mock pain.

Wilkie was saved from Daphne's response as Toby caught her attention. As she went over to congratulate him, Wilkie followed, and Bay continued past them, over to Emmett. He pulled her into his arms again and held her tight, kissing her on the cheek before she pulled just far enough away to sign to him.

"You totally saved those two." she signed. "They couldn't have done it without you."

"They would have managed."

"They wouldn't have been as good," Bay said, signing along as her eyes pleaded for Emmett to see her sincerity. "You were the best one up there. Everyone's eyes were on you."

"That has less to do with my ability to play the drums and more to do with how cute I am." Emmett replied, his face indicating mock confidence.

"I'd slap you if it weren't true" Bay signed, and Emmett bent down to capture her lips in another kiss.

"I'm glad you came. I wanted you here with me."

Bay released an exasperated sigh. "Then why did you tell me you didn't want me to come?"

Emmett shrugged. "I knew you'd come, but it's nice knowing you want to be here."

Bay's arms fell to her side. "You didn't know I'd come!"

Emmett smiled mischievously. "Yes I did." He crossed his arms smugly.

Bay crossed her arms, mirroring him and shifted her weight. "How could you have possibly known that?"

"Because I asked you not to."

"What, like I always do the opposite of what people tell me?"

"Pretty much."

She made to slap his chest playfully, but he caught her hand and held it in his own for a moment. She put her other hand on his cheek before releasing her hand from his grip to sign with both hands. "Emmett. I know how important this was to you. I wouldn't have missed it for anything."

Wilkie stopped mid sentence for what felt like the fiftieth time and grunted, frustrated. He had been trying to have a conversation with Daphne since Toby went back to his groupies for the past ten minutes. He knew she couldn't have any idea what he was saying, because she kept looking away from his lips to watch Bay and Emmett's conversation taking place ten feet away. Conversation between himself and Daphne always happened so easily when they were together, in fact their snarky banter was one of her qualities he was most attracted to. She was so different from other girls. Of course she was beautiful, but Daphne was much more intelligent than the empty headed Buckner Hall girls he was used to, she was so witty and she never seemed to let her deafness affect her. She was one of the happiest people he knew, and so much more real and down to earth than girls he surrounded himself with. And when she isn't busy eye-stalking a guy with a girlfriend, she is really mature, Wilkie thought bitterly. His thoughts were broken as Daphne turned back to face him, a sheepish expression clouding her features at his impatient look.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying? I was distracted." She said, fighting the urge to look back at Bay and Emmett.

"So I've noticed," Wilkie said, the humor gone from his voice. "I was just asking if you were staying in town for the night."

"Oh, no we're not. Thankfully." Daphne added, glancing back with disdain at Emmett and Bay's current embrace.

"If the problem is that you didn't pack appropriately, I'll have you know I have no problem with you not wearing PJs-or anything else- to bed." Wilkie said wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Daphne didn't respond, but instead turned to look at Bay and Emmett again. "You'd think they'd need to come up for oxygen at some point." she said bitterly, more to herself than to Wilkie.

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

"Huh?" Daphne said, turning back to face Wilkie again. "I missed that."

Wilkie sighed, defeated. He recognized a losing battle when he saw one. "Do you want to go over there?" he asked, pointing his head in the direction of Bay and Emmett.

"She and I should probably get going," Daphne said, already walking toward them.

Wilkie followed her until they were both standing beside Bay and Emmett who were completely oblivious to their presence. "Oh good," he said. "Now we have a much better view."

At the sound of his voice, Bay broke apart from Emmett and wiped her mouth, a slightly dazed look on her face as she grabbed the collar of Emmett's jacket and straightened it, running her hands along his chest to smooth the jacket. Emmett had a matching expression as he ran his hands through his hair in an effort to tame it where Bay had grabbed and tousled it when she ran her finger through it. Wilkie didn't bother to hide his chuckle at the two, but Daphne was less than amused.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked Bay, her signs rigid and her voice cold.

"Oh… yeah!" Bay said, coming back to earth. "Let's just go say bye to Toby."

Daphne started stomping away, with Wilkie following close behind. Bay started to follow when Emmett grabbed her arm, stopping her. "I want to see you when I get back Sunday."

Bay couldn't help but smile as she saw the eagerness displayed in Emmett's bright blue eyes. She swore her knees buckled at the sight. "I'd love to."

"Good." Emmett beamed. "I have a surprise for you."

Bay was intrigued. "What kind of surprise?"

"I'm not telling." Emmett signed with a smirk as he crossed his arms.

"Come on!" Bay pleaded, grabbing his arm as she bounced up and down. "Just a little hint?"

Emmett shook his head.

Bay pretended to sulk, and Emmett couldn't help but place a quick kiss on her pouty lips. Bay lost all semblance of being upset with him as a laugh escaped. "Fiiiine."

He grabbed her hand and the two set off toward Toby.

Toby spoke as they approached him. "Daphne says you two are heading out. You know, you could stay with us tonight."

Bay and Emmett exchanged a look, and the two of them and Wilkie all looked at Daphne hopefully, but at the thought of Emmett and Bay spending the night together, Daphne shook her head fiercely. "Thanks, but we really have to go."

Toby just shrugged. "Bummer."

Wilkie, Emmett and Bay all looked crestfallen. Bay shook her head, clearing the disappointment from her face as she spoke. "Well boys, it's been real. You really were terrific, but it looks like we have to be on our way." Bay and Wilkie exchanged a quick hug and she turned to Toby as Emmett and Daphne said their goodbyes.

"Thanks again for coming. It was awesome that you guys came, and everyone loved your logo."

"I'm glad," Bay said, hugging her older brother. "Enjoy the rest of the festival, but try to return in one piece."

"We'll do our best. Drive safe!"

Bay waited until Daphne and Emmett were finished, and turned to her boyfriend. They hugged each other tight until Emmett released his hold on her to tell Bay he couldn't wait until Sunday.

"Not even a hint?"

Emmett just waved goodbye, a gesture which Bay returned before turning to Daphne. "Let's get out of here."


End file.
